Synopsis

Author Biography

David is the author of A Case of the Nasties and The Killer was a Cross Dresser and Life of a French fry as well as co-author with Jennifer Patterson with the Tub of Spiders Trilogy. He lives in Vancouver, Washington

Author Insight

Murder or No Murder

Jimmy and Woody go way back. Jimmy loves Woody like a brother but not as a bother-in-law. Murder or no murder.

Book Excerpt

A Case of the Nasties

1955 HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA

“What makes you think I need a job, Woody?”

Edward D. Wood, Jr. sat across the table from me, his eyebrows lifted and that boyish grin across his face. “You look how I feel most of the time, Jimmy.” He ran a tanned hand through his dark hair.

When he tilted his head to one side he looked a bit like Errol Flynn. Me, I’m just a burly crew cut haired ex-marine (with a slight beer belly) that doesn’t take offense to being called a Jarhead.

“Okay, I’ll give you that one. Work has been a bit … weak.” I ran a thumb around the rim of my coffee cup and tried to look coy. We camped our butts at Frank’s Grill in North Hollywood, just a few blocks from Camarillo Street, after a night of drinking and debauchery. Ed, who I call Woody, is the director, writer and producer of more than several B pictures, and unlike his critics, I like most of them.

I’m not into the monster movies he had been working on lately, but his crime stuff was pretty good.

I tapped my wooden leg and frowned. “It’s this bum leg, Woody. Nobody has faith in a private detective with a wooden leg.” Every time I talked about my missing leg I’d get a phantom itch I could never scratch.

“I know what you mean, pal. I got my own troubles, too.”

This brings us to why we were hanging around the café at seven thirty in the morning when I was still clinging desperately to last night’s drunk. I wasn’t fully sober, but that was fine, I don’t make good decisions when I’m stone sober.

“So what’s the skinny?”

“I think someone is trying to kill me.” He said in a serious tone so I’d know he wasn’t kidding. “I’m sure of it.”